Key case



Jan. 7, 1930.

R. H. INGERSOLL KEY CASE Filed Aug. 18, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PatentedJan. 7, 1930 UNITED STATES amen PATENT OFFICE ROBERT H. INGERSOLL, OFNEW YORK, N. Y.; CHAR-LES S. SMITH, F LANSING, MICHI- GAN; AND FREDERICC. LEUBUSGI-IEB, OF ESEEX FELLS, NEW JERSEY, EXEOUTORS OF SAID ROBERT H.INGEB-SOLL, DECEASED, ASSIGNORS TO 30131. H. INGERSOLL, INC., OF NEWYORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEVI YORK if KEY CASE Application filedAugust 18, 1926. Serial No. 130,022.

This invention relates to improvements in pocket key cases, and moreparticularly bears upon the key retaining links for use in such cases. I

It has heretofore been proposed to construct pocket key cases of purseform invarious manner. According to the present invention such a case ismade with a rigid plate which has a series of ears thereon to receivethe retaining members for a number of keys, and a special key retainingdevice is provided from which a key cannot be detached by a pull in anydirection, so that the key is assured of maintenance within the casewhen closed, and of attachment to th key case' when the latter is open.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a key case having one key retainingmember represented with a key thereon.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through a key retaining membersubstantially-on the line 2&2 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the key retaining member. 1

Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a plan view on anenlarged scale of a sheet metal blank for making a swivel member. a

Fig. 6 is a view on a similar scale showing the member after it has beenfolded and shaped.

.Fig. 7 is a section on line 7- 7 of Fig. 6.-

Fig. 8 is a view on an enlarged scale of a modified form of swivelmember.

Fig. 9 is a view showing the modified swivel member as being foldedandshaped, in conjunction with the correspondingly modified sheath.

Fig. 10 is a section on line 10-10 of Fig. 9, showing the swivel memberonly.

Fig. 11 is an elevation of a further modified form of the assembly.

Fig. 12 is a section on line 1212 of Fig. 11.

In the drawings, 10 designates a key purse casing of leather or similarmaterial having the snap fastening members 11, 12 thereon, to hold thecasing in closed position when so desired.

A stiff metal plate 13 is fastened to this casing by the hollow eyelets14 and, at its outer edge adjacent the edge of the casing proper, has aplurality of ears 15 formed by leaving small projecting fingers on theedge of the plate 13 during manufacture and then curling these fingersinto shape until the free end is brought into substantial engagementwith the end of the plate itself.

The key retaining members are each intended to support one key K, andthe number of members normally corresponds to the number of curled ears15. For the purpose of simplicity, only one of such members isshown inthe present drawing.

Each of these key retaining members or links comprises a swivel memberhaving an eye 21 at one end and an enlarged head 22 at the other end. Asmall sheath 23 of thin sheet metal is prepared by an appropriatestamping and forming operation and has an aperture at its apex which isbarely suficient to pass the stem 20 of the swivel member. The

head 22 of this swivel member is therefore Y permitted to swivel freelyintheupper portion of the sheath. The skirt 24 of this sheath is out outat one side at 24 and the edges are forced downward and curled as shownat 25 and 26 in Fig. 4.v The other side ofthe skirt is pressed until itvis substantially flat as shown at 27 in Fig. 3. v A wire key loop 28 isformed with a rightangled portion 29 at one side which, during theprocess of assemblage, is held within the skirt 24 of the sheath, whilethe latter is being curled, so that the curl 25 is forced around thewire loop 28, 29 and holds the latter rigidly in position in the sheath.The other leg 30 of the loop has an out-turned pip 31 at its free endwhich forms a sharp internal angle so that a strain along the line ofthe leg 30 is transmitted in a plane perpendicular to the axis of thepip 31; and this pip holds the leg 30 against withdrawal in thedirection of its length after the pip 31 is seated in its aperture. Thecurl 26 of the skirt 24 is of a sufficient size to closely receive andguide the leg 30 of the wire loop, and is provided with a small aperture32 therein to receive the pip 31 of this wire loop.

The device is assembled in the manner indicated above, and resembles asafety pin in its action of closing and opening.

The key and its retainer may be swung into and out of the case by thesliding movement of the eye 21 upon the curled car 15. A swivelingmovement of the key above the eyelet is permitted by the engagement ofthe-enlatrged head 22 of the swivel member in the sheath 23, while theeye 21 itself by rotation about the ear 15 permits a relatively lateralmovement of the key out of its straight line position when suspendedfrom the ear 15, as shown in Fig. 1. A substantially universal movementis thus permitted to the key;

The key K of Fig. 1 may be removed from the retainer by compressing theleg '30 sothat it moves in the sheath and may be pressed laterally outof the cutaway portion 24 of the sheath. The key may then be slipped offthe end 31 of the wire loop, and if desired a new one placed thereon.The leg 30 is then pressed toward leg 28 again, and then moved inwarduntil its end 31 can again snap into the aperture 32 on the skirt of thesheath.

A verysimple, cheap and easily manufactured structure is thus presented;which at the same time has the advantage that Whileit is'made of smalland light material, yet the wire loop is well supported and guided, andeven a very strong pull upon the key will not cause the legs 28, to bedisengaged from the skirt of the sheath, since one is retained thereinby the curl 25, and the other by the curl 26 on engagement of itsoutwardly bent pip 31 in the hole 32. p

In the form of execution represented in Figs. 'lto 4, it has. beenassumed that the swivel member 20, 21', 22 was made of solid metal. Thisis not essential for the invention: and this swivel member may be madeof sheet metal as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7.

V In Fig. 5, theblank is cut from sheet metal by appropriate operationsto form the substantially circular central portion 40 having theconnecting bridges 41 leading to the terminal eyes 42. The bridges andeyes are folded upward and at the same time the edges of the circularportion 40 are likewise folded upwardly, and the whole is given the formshown f in Figs. 6 and 7, in which the two eyes 42 lie parallel to eachother, while the portion 40 has been refolded and shaped until its uppersurface is substantially of the form of a portion of a'spl1ere,so thatit may be easily received in the sheath 23, and may rock therein in itsswiveling and self-adjusting relationship therewith.

tion 45 with the bridges 46 leading to the end eyes 47. An aperture 48is formed in the central circular portion 45. 'This blank is then foldedand shaped similar to that of Fig. 5, but the middle of the circularportion 45 'is bent upwardly until its internal surface substantiallyforms a portion of a sphere. In conjunction with this the sheath 23 ofFig. 9 is formed with a ball-49 at its upper end which is connectedtothe sheath 23 proper by a bridge 50. The ball 49 fits snugly withinthe spherical portion of theswivel member, and the latter may have themetal surrounding the aperture 48 in the V folded and shaped form bentinward as shown at 51in Fig. 10 to hold the swivel 49in 'position.

In the modified form shown inFigs. 11 and 12, a single piece of wire isemployed to form both the loop and whatcorresponds to the.

substantial right angles to the leg 28, and finally a rebent end 58which holds the .as-

sembly together. The portions '55 and 57 are bent away from each othervtoform an aperture for the passage of the stem 20 of a swivel member,as shown in Fig; 12.

It is apparent that the invention is not limited to the specific formsof execution represented, but may be modified within the scope of theappended claims. 7

I claim:

1. In a key link for a key case, a swivel member to be fastened to saidcase by an eye thereon, a second member :swiveled on said swivel memberand having apart of its side cut away, and a wire loop fastened rigidlyand permanently at one end to saidv second member and at its other endhaving a releasable connection therewith said loop being adapted toenter said second memberthrough the cut away part thereof. v

2. In a key link for a key case, a member of thin sheet material, a wireloop held rigidly and permanently at one end to said mem-- her by aportion thereof surrounding and gripping the same and having areleasable connection at its other end with a. further portion of saidmember.

3. In a key case comprising a casing and a swivel member adapted toswing into and out of said casing; a link swiveled to said swivelmember, and a wire loop fastenedrigidly and permanently at one end tosaid link, and at its other end being guidable and securable in anotherportion of said link, said link being laterally cut away to permit theentry and removal of the latter end of said loop.

4. In a key holder, a hollow member, a resilient loop rigidly andpermanently fixed at one end to said hollow member and having an oflsetprojection at its other end, said hollow member having a laterally openchannel to receive the latter end of the loop and a cavity to receivesaid ofl'set projection to prevent movement of the latter leg of saidloop except in the direction toward said first leg.

5. In a key holder, a sheath, a key retaining loop having one endfixedly and permanently secured in said sheath and having an outwardlyturned pip at the other end, said sheath having a curled flange thereonto receive and guide said free end of said key-retaining loop, andproviding a channel open at one side above its bottom, said flangeextending substantially in the direction of said free end of said loop,said sheath also having an aperture therein in said curled flange toreceive the outwardly bent pip of said loop whereby the loop may becompressed against its own resiliency and moved laterally into and outof positions opposite said channel.

6. In a key holder, a sheath, a key retaining loop having its upper endlocated in said sheath and fixedly and permanently secured thereto by acompressed and curled portion of the material of said sheath, a curledflange formed on said sheath as a channel, the material of the sheathbeing formed with an aperture opening into said channel, the keyretaining loop having at its free end an outwardly bent pip, the loopbeing resilient so that its free end is receivable in and removable fromsaid channel for presenting its pip into said aperture when in closedposition in said channel by a relatively resilient movement of said freeend toward said fixed end and a lateral movement toward or from saidsheath.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

ROBERT H. INGERSOLL.

